Pokémon Lightning Yellow Version
by The Fangirling Gourgeist
Summary: Professor Oak gave away three unusual starters to three unusual trainers: a shy Eevee to his arrogant grandson, a grouchy Jigglypuff to a very energetic girl, and a disobedient Pikachu to a boy that rarely even talks. Based off of Pokémon Yellow Version. Follows Red, Leaf, and Blue. Contains slightly psychic!Red. T for mild swearing. Possible slight BurningLeafShipping.
1. The Beginning of a Legend

**Hi there! It's that time of year again: the time where I write a story that gets barely any likes/reviews/follows and I get writer's block on it! However, I'm hoping that won't happen this time. If you like this, leave a favorite/review/something so I get motivated enough to get off my lazy rear end and work on this more! I already have chapter 2 done, and will post it if people like this. (It's just SUPER hard posting to ff.n on an iPad, ya know?)**

**Anyways, now for a few things you should probably know: Ash makes appearances in the first and second chapters. Why? To explain how the heck you find a Pikachu in the tall grass outside Pallet Town. Also, he is Red's younger brother by one year. And the coma theory will be in play here, so don't worry Ash haters (why do you hate someone so adorable?), he'll be outta the way soon enough.**

** Now for Red. He will have _slight_ psychic abilities. Why? Well when you prefer not to speak in public, how else are you supposed to communicate with your Pokémon? Telepathy. (Yeah, I don't understand how that works either. Just go along with it, ok? Besides, I said slight. He won't be levitating Pokéballs or seeing the future or anything. He's still just Red. XD)**

**Enough of my rambling that you probably ignored (or didn't ignore and instead had it probably discourage you from reading this story). Enjoy!**

* * *

A bike sped down the rainy road of Route 1, clumsily hopping ledges in a sure hurry.

"Don't worry, Pikachu. You're gonna make it," said the black-haired boy riding it to the electric yellow mouse in the bike's basket.

"Fearow!" The boy looked back at the hoard of Spearow chasing them to find their evolutionary form coming at them at full speed. He muttered a curse and pedaled harder, desperately trying to avoid the angry birds. Unfortunately for the boy, he lost his balance hopping over a last ledge. He yelled, and fell head-first onto the ground.

The current situation was not good. The enraged Pokémon were getting close, and it would only be a matter of time before he and Ash became bird food.

The young trainer spoke. "Pikachu! Pikachu, this can't...happen..." Ash then weakly took out Pikachu's Pokéball. "I know you're afraid of going in there, but if you're inside, maybe I can save you. Please, Pikachu, please listen to me and go inside. After that, then...after that just trust me."

With that said, Ash painfully stood up, taking a protective stance in front of Pikachu. "Spearows, do you know I am? I'm Ash from the town of Pallet. I am destined to be the world's number one Pokémon master. I can't be defeated by the likes of you. I'm going to capture and defeat you all. You hear me?" He then turned back toward his starter. "Go inside the Pokéball, it's the only way." Ash faced the bird Pokémon again. "Come and get me!"

Witnessing how much his new trainer truly cared for him, Pikachu leaped in front of Ash and raised his tail high, hoping for a lightning bolt to hit it in the raging storm and power him up.

Bam! One hit. Pikachu absorbed the energy from the bolt into his cheeks, and unleashed it at full power at the Spearows (and Fearow) with a mighty "Pi...ka...CHUUUUUUUUUU!"

The birds went down in a flash (literally), which left the route relatively quiet, save for the thunder above. Pikachu went back to check on his trainer. However, he was no longer standing, and was instead found lying unconscious with burns that possibly resulted from the lightning. This couldn't be good.

Pikachu tried to shake his trainer awake, but to no avail. He then decided that it would be best to try and get help from the humans of Pallet Town. Finding an Oran Berry in a nearby plant, he ate it, regaining his strength, and rushed back to the place where he was first brought after his initial capture.

* * *

Meanwhile in a house in Pallet, a young eleven year-old was covering his head, trying to get sleep despite the sunlight glaring at him through the open bedroom window. After a while, though, he realized that the light shouldn't be that bright so early in the morning. Wait... He finally opened his scarlet eyes and looked for the clock. He found it...broken on the floor.

The boy hastily jumped out of bed, but winced and hissed as he hit his head on the bunk above him. Why did his younger brother get the top bunk while he was stuck with the bottom one? Is Ash even up yet? He got out of bed and climbed up the ladder.

"Ash," he whispered, only to find that the sibling in question wasn't in his bed. He forgot to wake him up, and on the most important day of their lives. Hell, he even endured school for another year JUST so he and his little brother could start their Pokémon journey together once said sibling turned ten, which was just last month. Climbing back down, the boy decided that he should get dressed. He rushed to his closet, almost tripping over the SNES in the middle of the room.

Checking his wardrobe, he found two desirable outfits. One was a red vest with white running down the middle and covering up the zipper. It was sleeveless, exposing the short sleeves of his black t-shirt, which he decided to put on as he chose. As he put on his long, light blue jeans, he looked at the hat that went with it. It was red all over with a white rim and Pokéball design on the front. He liked wearing black wristbands with this outfit, too.

The other outfit was similar to Ash's. It was a slightly lighter shade of red than his eyes, with white sleeves, a button latch near the top, and a white collar, hem, and pocket outlines. The hat also slightly matched his brother's, being red all around (even on the rim) except for on the front, which was white and had a small green circle with a line through it on the bottom right corner. His favorite accessories to this outfit are his black fingerless gloves that have white cuffs, and give him another outfit similarity to Ash.

Choosing the latter, he grabbed his tan backpack, got on his white and red sneakers, and hurried downstairs. When he got there, he found his mother, Delia. She smiled at him warmly.

"Good morning, Red. I guess Ash forgot to wake you up when he ran out to get a Pokémon this morning. Then again, he also forgot his clothes..." Delia chuckled, and her son face-palmed slightly. "Don't worry, though. He got a nice Pikachu, and you know that Professor Oak was saving a special Pokémon for you."

Red was about to leave, but when he turned back he saw the saddened look on his mother's face. She smiled sadly at him. "Right. All boys leave home someday. It said so on TV. Besides, you know Professor Oak, next door, is looking for you." Red suddenly turned around and hugged his mother tightly. This surprised her, but she hugged back immediately. "Stay safe." She kissed her son's forehead and he smiled back, before heading out the door. "...Don't worry, Mom. I'll be safe..."

* * *

The teen made his way to Professor Oak's laboratory. However, when he got there, all he found was a single Pokéball and...the professor's grandson. His full name was Garrison S. Oak, though he preferred the nickname 'Blue.' He was a few months younger than Red, and yet was somehow able to always stay one step ahead of his rival. He was also quite a bit taller than Red (and most kids Red knew, for that matter), and it was something he took pride in.

The younger one glanced over at his rival. "Yo Red! Gramps isn't around! I ran here 'cos he said he had a Pokémon for me." Red sighed, disappointed that the old man wasn't there. Where was that professor? He was supposed to be there. Red looked over at the Pokéball on the table before leaving.

The young boy searched all over Pallet Town, before deciding to check a bit into Route 1. However, he wasn't even two steps into the grass before he heard a voice call out to him.

"Hey! Wait! Don't go out!" He found the Professor himself rushing at him, surprisingly quickly for someone of his age. "That was close! Wild Pokémon live in tall grass!" The professor turned, and found a Pikachu run up to him.

"Pika," the mouse Pokémon yelled, trying to grab his attention. The Professor had no Pokémon on him, so he did what any smart Pokémon researcher would do: he threw a Pokéball and hoped that his luck would hold out. It was the only one he had on him, anyways. Fortunately for him, after the Pokéball shook three times, it made a sound click. Professor Oak was obviously relieved.

"Whew..." He bent over and picked up the Pikachu's ball. "A Pokémon can appear anytime in tall grass. You need your own Pokémon for your protection." He thought for a moment, then remembered something. "I know! Here, come with me!" He led Red into his lab, the teen trailing closely behind.

"Gramps! I'm fed up with waiting," Blue yelled, having grown impatient.

"Hmm? Gary? Why are you here already," the professor questioned. "I said for you to come by later..." He trailed off, before perking back up. "Ah, whatever! Just wait there." He turned to Red. "Look, Red! Do you see that ball on the table?" The raven-haired boy looked at the ball and nodded. "It's called a Pokéball. It holds a Pokémon inside." Red gave him a dull look. As if he didn't know that already... How else would he have gotten his Trainer's license? The Professor didn't seem to notice this, though. "You may have it! Go on, take it!"

"Hey! Gramps! What about me?" Blue was obviously getting fed up with his grandfather by now. First making him wait, then giving the last Pokémon left to RED of all people? Ridiculous.

"Be patient, Gary, I'll give you one later," he responded to his impatient grandson. Red smiled and happily walked over to the ball. However, just as he was reaching out to grab it...

"No way! Red, I want this Pokémon," Blue exclaimed as he shoved Red out of the way, snatching the Pokéball. The Professor was surprised, to say the least.

"Gary! What are you doing?"

"Gramps, I want this one!"

"But I..." Oak was trying to come up with something to respond with, but he sighed. "Oh, all right then. That Pokémon is yours. I was going to give you one anyway..." Blue smirked down at Red, while the older of the two glared up at him. Why was he always like this?

"Red, come over here," Oak called. Red walked over to him instantly. "Red, this is the Pokémon I caught earlier. You can have it. I caught it in the wild and it's not tame yet." The lad didn't care, though, and happily accepted the Pokémon. As Red was about to leave, Blue rushed up to him.

"Wait Red! Let's check out our Pokémon! Come on, I'll take you on!" He pulled out his Pokéball and threw it, releasing the brown fox Pokémon inside.

"Eevee," the Pokémon cried out, taking a fighting stance. Red pulled out his own Pokéball and sent out the electric Pokémon inside.

"Pika," exclaimed Pikachu, his cheeks lighting up with electricity. Red stood flustered, wondering what to do. He racked his brain. Now what did Pikachus know at level five...?

"...Thundershock," he whispered meekly. The yellow mouse zapped the Eevee, doing a little damage.

"Eevee, use Tail Whip," Blue commanded, his lime green eyes twinkling with excitement for the battle. Eevee complied and wiggled his tail, making Pikachu lower his guard a little.

"Th-" Before Red could even say it, Pikachu zapped his opponent again.

"Tackle!" Eevee lunged at Pikachu, doing a significant amount of damage because the mouse had let his guard down. Pikachu, thinking for himself, thought that maybe Eevee should have his attack lowered to make up for the lost defense. Without listening to his trainer, Pikachu growled in a cute way, lowering his enemy's attack.

Blue smirked. "You know what to do." Eevee tackled Pikachu again, leaving him with little strength left. Pikachu tried to use Thundershock, but it didn't do enough damage. Come Eevee's next Tackle, poor Pikachu was defeated.

"Pika pika," Pikachu weakly said before fainting.

Blue returned Eevee. "Yeah! Am I great or what?"

Red rushed to Pikachu's side. "Are...are you okay...?" Getting no response, he returned the Pokémon.

"Okay! I'll make my Pokémon fight to toughen it up!" Blue started walking out the door. "Red! Gramps! Smell you later!" With that statement and a flip of his soft, shiny brown hair, he was gone.

After Blue left, Red and Oak heard a "Pika."

"What," Oak questioned. Suddenly, Pikachu emerged from his ball without warning, startling his trainer and making him jump. "Would you look at that! It's odd, but it appears that your Pikachu dislikes Pokéballs. You should just keep him with you. That should make him happy! You can talk to him and see how he feels about you."

Red smiled and turned to Pikachu. "Hello, Pikachu. Nice to meet you. My name's Red." The usually shy boy extended his hand out for Pikachu to shake, obviously feeling more comfortable around the Pokémon than his fellow humans.

His new partner, however, didn't take it. "PIKACHU," he shouted as he turned his back toward his trainer. Red sighed. He obviously had some work to do if he was to gain Pikachu's trust. He left the lab, with Pikachu reluctantly following.

* * *

"Leaf! Leaf, wake up!" A large man entered the small room, which was decorated with Pokémon posters. It had a Nintendo GameCube plugged into the TV, with a Gameboy Advance containing a game with a Venusaur on the cover connected to it. The room was painted blue and had a neon green carpet to match, and had all sorts of comics, magazines, and video game cases scattered about it.

"Not now, Dad...I'm sleeping," the teen under the covers muttered. Her father sighed.

"Leaf Amanda Green! You are already far too late as it is! Do you want Professor Oak to be out of Pokémon before you arrive?!"

That made the girl's dark blue eyes immediately open wide as she shot out of bed, her light brunette hair getting in a tangle as she rushed to get some clothes on. She went with her black dress with matching high heels and white gloves. She had to look nice when she got her first Pokémon, right? Leaf immediately hurried down the stairs and grabbed a granola bar to eat before running out the door, somehow going fast despite her footwear.

* * *

"PROFESSOR! IT'S LEAF!" The tomboy rushed over to Professor Oak. "PLEASE tell me you have a Bulbasaur left!"

Oak looked at her incredulously, surprised by just how late this girl is. "Nope, sorry. All of the starter Pokémon were taken by Trainers who came here on time."

"WHAT?! Hmm...well, what about that Pikachu you found chewing on your electrical cables?"

The Professor shook his head. "That one was given away to Red's younger brother, who was also late, but less late than you, I'm afraid."

Leaf looked at him in disbelief. "You're kidding. ASH of all people beat me to getting a starter? The guy ALWAYS sleeps in WAAAAAAAY too much!"

"You have quite the habit of sleeping in yourself, you know," Oak replied. The young girl sighed, knowing that he was right.

"Come on...don't you have ANYTHING left? Hell, I'd even settle for a Magikarp! Just give me SOMETHING!" Leaf was desperate.

Oak sighed. "Alright, maybe we have a Pokémon we are researching that you could have..." He made his way to the basement, with Leaf happily bouncing behind him.

* * *

Leaf was in awe, to say the least. There were so many Pokémon in here, most of which she never even heard of.

"Wow, what's this," she asked, speeding toward a gray bird Pokémon with a white heart on its chest.

"That's a Pidove, a Pokémon from Unova," the Professor said.

"And what's that?" She ran to an orange Pokémon with long, hairlike arms and a Jack-O-Lantern for the bottom part of its body.

"That's a Gourgeist, from Kalos." Leaf looked at the Gourgeist, before smiling.

"I want this one!"

Oak shook his head. "No, Leaf. That one's too powerful for you. Besides, we're still running tests with her, and she doesn't like humans much yet."

"Oh, alright." She sighed and looked for other Pokémon. Her eyes finally fell on a Pokémon she knew. "The Jigglypuff! I want the Jigglypuff!" She jumped up and down excitedly as she pointed at the balloon Pokémon.

The Professor didn't seem as certain. "Er...are you sure? She's not very well trained..."

"I'm positive," Leaf exclaimed with certainty. "I want her to be my partner!"

"Alright...we collected enough data from her, anyways...um..." Oak searched for the Pokémon's ball, handing it to Leaf. "This Jigglypuff is yours now."

Leaf started bouncing again. "Woohoo! Ya hear that? We're partners from now on, Jigglypuff! My name is Leaf! Hey, how about I call you Puffers?" The girl was clearly excited about getting her first Pokémon.

"Puff..." Jigglypuff was about to say something, but sighed in defeat. She had a trainer now. This wasn't going to be fun.

"Alright! Puffers it is! Let's go, Puffers!" Leaf returned Puffers to her Pokéball and ran out.

"Wait, Leaf!" The elderly Oak ran up the stairs after her. "There's something I need you to-"

"What the...? What are you doing here, Douche?" Never mind... Professor Oak got to the main entrance to find Leaf, along with his grandson.

"Heh. I was about to ask you the same question. Geez, what were you doing? Trying to sneak a lab Pokémon because you were late?" Blue smirked. Leaf was enraged by his comment.

"Be quiet, Asshat! I got a special Pokémon: a Jigglypuff! What did you get? A Squirtle? A Charmander?"

Blue, however, only smirked. "An Eevee."

"Wait, a WHAT?! I always wanted an Eevee! Well, and a Bulbasaur... But still!" The girl was obviously not considering this whole thing fair.

"Well, ya snooze ya lose, and you're the biggest snoozer AND loser that I know. Well, other than-" The door opened suddenly, and Red and Pikachu walked in. "Well speak of the devil... What took ya so long, Red?"

"Look who's calling who the devil," Leaf whispered under her breath. "Hiya, Red!" She bounced up to him. "Wow, you have a Pikachu? That's so cool! Hey, wanna battle! I have an awesome new Jigglypuff!" Red shook his head. "Okay, maybe some other time," Leaf said, a bit disappointed.

Professor Oak, taking notice of the three all being together, calls for their attention. "Excuse me! I know you are all excited about getting your new Pokémon, but would you three please come here?" The young Trainers followed Professor Oak as he grabbed three red boxlike devices, handing one out to each of them. "This is a Pokédex, a high-tech Pokémon encyclopedia! It can record data on any Pokémon that you have caught! To make a complete guide of all the Pokémon in the world...that is my dream. But I'm too old and can't get it done, so I want you three to do it for me! Leaf looked at him quizzically.

"ALL of the Pokémon in the WORLD? Even the legendaries? How is that pos-"

"Leave it all to me, Gramps," Blue said, completely sure of himself, as he ran out. Red, meanwhile, was silently trying to figure out how the device worked, his dark red eyes scanning over the many buttons and other such things. After exploring the machine a bit, he slid it into his backpack.

"Anyways, good luck to all of you!" With that, the remaining two trainers followed Blue's lead and started on their Pokémon journey.


	2. Shocking Revelations

**Two likes and two follows? May as well get the second chapter up. By the way, sorry if this seems a bit...bad. I want to get the story set up and started as soon as I can! I'm not much for slow starts to stories... I can almost promise that future chapters will be better!**

**Oh and also, I forgot the disclaimer on the first chapter so I'll say it now. I do not own Pokémon, Pikachu, Red, Leaf, Gary (or Blue whatever you call him, I just like to call him Gary), or any other characters unless I specify them otherwise here. Those guys belong to Nintendo, Game Freak, and the Pokémon Company, in case it wasn't obvious that I'm just some fan.**

"Speech"

'Telepathy/thoughts/Pokémon speech'

* * *

Red set back out onto Route 1. Suddenly, Pikachu's ears perked up, as if he remembered something important. He ran off the main path and into the trees.

"Wait," Red called after him. Pikachu signaled for his trainer to follow before rushing further down with Red tailing behind. Before long, the two spotted bike tracks. The ground was still muddy from the earlier rainfall, so Red tried his hardest not to get his clothes dirty.

Pikachu grew impatient waiting for him to stumble around the wet mess, and made Red snap to attention with a loud "PIKA!" The Trainer quickened his pace, following his speedy partner to the best of his ability and wondering just what he wanted to show him that was so urgent. After the last ledge, Red saw a sight that he never in his life hoped to view.

It was his brother, unconscious, next to a fried bicycle and with a crushed Pokéball near his belt. Red rushed over to him and held him turning him over, with the black lightning bolt-shaped birthmarks on the boy's cheeks proving that he was indeed Ash Ketchum. The older brother pressed his head to his chest, hearing a faint heartbeat and feeling steady breathing. At the very least he was still alive.

Red picked Ash up off of the ground, holding him tightly. "We need to get to the Viridian Hospital!" Pikachu nodded, and the two started running. However, only a short while after they started moving, they heard the shrill squawks of multiple enraged Spearows. They flew at the duo, the horde splitting in two to try and separate them. The tactic worked.

They chased Pikachu toward the hills, and Red farther into the forested area. It was just as Fearow planned. They didn't want the trainer using any quick wit to help Pikachu out of this situation. There was less of a chance the rat would get out alive, now.

Red was caught in a mess of his own. He was also being pursued by multiple tiny bird Pokémon. The group wasn't as large as the one chasing Pikachu, but Red knew that they were also likely to be more after his brother, whom he was carrying at the moment, than him.

"Dammit Ash," Red whispered. "You think you could've laid off the pizza a little?" His unconscious brother made no response. He kept running until he slipped and fell in a puddle of mud. The Spearows gained on him, and Red, knowing that he would have no time to get up, covered Ash as best he could with his body to try and protect him. The birds pecked furiously, making Red have to bear more pain than he anticipated.

He weakly looked up and saw the horde chasing Pikachu back the poor mouse onto a steep mountainside. One false step would leave him tumbling into a Beedrill nest, but yet, the Spearows coming at him would also lead to quite a painful death. Pikachu didn't have any thunderstorm to power him up enough to take on all of those Pokémon again, and he was too panicked to think of any way out of this. He closed his eyes and prepared for his fate.

Red was watching from the bottom, already having a strategy in mind. "PIKACHU," he yelled, but his partner gave no response. He was too far away, and the bird Pokémon made too much noise for the sound to get far. (Red could barely even hear himself, for that matter.)

'Come on, there has to be some way! I need to reach Pikachu or we're both dead for sure!' The trainer found it hard to think over the furious pecking of the Spearows on his flesh, but he knew he had to think hard and fast. 'How do I communicate with him? He's not paying attention to me, and I'm trying to protect Ash, so trying to sign something isn't an option. What if...no, that's a ridiculous idea. Why did I even think that? I'm no psychic! I can't use telepathy!' A Spearow almost hit Ash, and Red just barely was able to block it. 'Well, I don't have much choice. It probably won't work, but it's the only shot I have right now.' Red closed his eyes, trying to reach out to Pikachu. He thought he felt his very energy touch another, but he thought that he might have just been going crazy. He needed to try, though.

'Pikach...ease...don't...ive u...' The Pokémon opened his eyes and his ears twitched, looking for the source. That faint voice that echoed through his head right now...was it...? Red opened his eyes to see Pikachu looking around for something. Did it work? He strained to do that again.

'Quick Attack that Spearow coming at you intro the Fearow. Hurry!' All Pikachu heard was '...ick Atta...coming at y...Fearo...' Quick Attack? He suddenly noticed a Spearow charging toward him at full-speed, slightly ahead of the group. Pikachu did what he thought he heard: he used Quick Attack to send the Spearow into the Fearow leading them. Neither had any time to react. Red was amazed, to say the least. Did Pikachu just hear him?

He felt his partner's energy move, and tried his best to stay on it, hoping that it was true. '...now use Qui...agai...on an...row tha...omes at...' What was that? He dodged as more of the birds tried to attack. He used Quick Attack again in the nearest Spearow, knocking it into the bewildered Fearow again. Was that what the voice, which sounds oddly like Red, was trying to tell him?

He kept at it for as long as he could, until he finally heard a '...ow u...undersho...Fearo...' Thundershock the Fearow? That he could do. He gathered all of his energy into his cheeks, and fired the biggest Thundershock he could muster at the Fearow's neck. A critical hit! The attack spread to all of the nearby Spearows, who were still mostly touching Fearow after being speedily Quick Attacked into him. All of them went down instantly except for Fearow himself, who was easily taken care of with another Thundershock.

Now all he had left to do was get to Ash and Red. They weren't hard to locate, considering there was a small cloud of Spearows above them. He sped hastily toward the horde as fast as he could go, hoping that he would get there in time. Red felt his consciousness slipping quickly. He knew he could only stay awake for so much longer. He clutched his brother tightly, eyelids growing heavy. At least Pikachu would be safe.

Suddenly, he heard a loud "CHUUUU" and saw the Spearows flee. Pikachu ran toward Red, a concerned look on his face.

"Pikachu..." Red smiled weakly at his worried partner, before his blood-colored eyes closed and he slipped into the same state as his brother.

* * *

Leaf whistled happily as she walked through the forest, Jigglypuff at her heels. "We've got some serious training to do now, Puffers," she exclaimed happily.

Her Pokémon looked up at her. "Puff?" She had never expected that she would be used for battle. Her kind was usually used for contests, musicals and the like. Leaf smiled down at her.

"Ya know, have you battle to make you stronger so you can win more battles." Puffers knew full well what her trainer said, but didn't quite understand. She didn't know how to feel about the decision, either.

"Pika!" A Pikachu rushed over to the two girls. "Pi! Pikachu pika!" His voice was panicked.

"Jigglypuff puff," Puffers asked.

"Pi! Pi Pikachu," the electric mouse responded, before dashing off in some direction with Puffers following.

"Hey, wait for me," Leaf exclaimed, chasing after the two.

* * *

When they arrived on the scene, they found Red, unconscious, on top of Ash. Leaf rushed over, the two Pokémon already there. She checked both of the brothers for breathing, relieved to find that they were both still alive, but barely.

"Pikachu, Puffers, you carry Ash," Leaf instructed. "I'll take Red." The two Pokémon nodded. Leaf hoisted Red up, carrying him bridal style, and the two Pokémon got underneath Ash and lifted him above their heads. Before long, everyone set off toward the hospital.

* * *

"Ugh...where..." Red's eyes slowly opened, allowing him to view the room he was currently in. He was in a bed, surrounded by gray walls and medical devices. He also found Leaf next to him, smiling.

"Red! Thank Arceus you're okay! You've been out for four days!" That surprised Red, as he bolted right up.

"F-FOUR DAYS?!" He regretted sitting up so quickly, however, as his back decided to start hurting. Leaf chuckled.

"Relax, I'm kidding. It's only been a couple hours," she admitted, earning her a glare from the red-eyed trainer. Leaf only just laughed, however. "Come on, lighten up. It was a joke!"

Red decided that now would be the time to get answers. "Are Ash and Pikachu okay?"

"Pikachu's just fine," Leaf told him, "and Ash's condition is being checked now." A nurse came in. "Hey nurse, Red's up. Is Ash?"

The nurse looked at the two Trainers sadly. "I'm very sorry to tell you this, but he's fallen into a coma. I'm afraid he won't wake up anytime soon, and his injuries don't help matters at all."

This new information shocked Red. Ash? In a coma? But the two of them were supposed to start their Pokémon journey together, traveling with each other and roaming Kanto as brothers. Leaf, noticing Red's dejected expression, put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Red. But hey, it's not all bad. At least he's not-HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Red already bolted out of the room, having removed his IVs so he could check up on his brother. However, sore muscles and a lack of knowledge as to his brother's room forced him to walk back to his hospital room. The nurse looked surprised, and almost laughed a bit.

"He's in room D14," she told him. Red nodded as thanks and went to see his brother.

* * *

Pikachu was by Ash's bed on the stand, looking sadly at his former Trainer. A coma? He really screwed up this time, huh? He heard someone coming in, and Pikachu turned around. Great. His current trainer. He stared back down at Ash. "Pika..." Red's eyes also wandered to his younger sibling.

He was bandaged up, having cuts, bruises, and some stitches even, not unlike Red himself. Ash, however, was sleeping peacefully, his chest gently rising and falling rhythmically. Red took pity on him. He wouldn't be able to journey while he's asleep. His eyes then wandered to Pikachu.

The poor little mouse. He could almost hear his thoughts: 'I failed him. I can't believe it. I was such a dick to him, and now look what happened because of it.' The Trainer patted his Pokémon's back.

"I'm...I'm sorry about what happened. But it wasn't your fault. Trust me." Pikachu looked down.

"Pika...Pikachu pika..." 'But it was...I could've saved him...' He curled his paw into a fist and pounded it to the table he was sitting on. 'Why? Why did I let this happen?' Red suddenly picked Pikachu up and held him, speaking with his heart instead of his words.

'Don't beat yourself up over it. The past is in the past. It's nothing you can change. Here and now. That's what matters.' Pikachu looked up at him, not caring that he understood what he said as much as his words...er...thoughts. He cried into Red, as the boy stroked him gently. 'Let's start over. You and me...partner...'

* * *

**Come on, if you were in that situation, wouldn't you attempt telepathy, too!**

**...No? Just me? (And Red, apparently.) Wow, I'm weirder than I thought...and crazier...not sure if that's a good thing...**

**Anyways, please review, favorite, and whatever else if you want to see more. I'm trying to get chapter 3 done soon!**


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